Propagating Hardwood Cuttings
September, 2013
Slide 1 – Intro
Be sure to ask questions, if you have any, as we go along.
Slide 2 - Acknowledgements
Slide 3 – US Plant Patent Act
If you ask about the legalities - take a moment to read this. With that said…
Slide 4 - Propagation
I always like, when giving a program, to take a look at the definition of what we are going to talk about. In this case, “propagation is the multiplication or reproduction of a kind or species, via sexual or asexual methods”. What is the difference?
Slide 5 – Sexual Propagation
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From seeds, transferring pollen from the anthers of one rose to the stigma of another. This is the hybridization process - fertilization occurs and seeds are produced.
Slide 6 – Asexual Reproduction
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Here is where we use parts of a growing plant other than the seeds. There are several types:
Cuttings
Layering
Division or separation
Budding
Grafting
Tissue culture
For this program, we are going to take a look at the first one listed – propagating cuttings…
Slide 7 – Some beauties!
Lets take a look at what we would do if we wanted to make more of these lovelies! All are Mitchie’s. None are patented, no permission needed. Bottom 3 are Mitchie’s newest introductions.
Slide 8 - Cutting
Definition – any detached plant part which, when grown under favorable conditions, will produce a new plant identical to the parent plant.
Slide 9 – Types of cuttings
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The three types of cuttings include root, leaf and stem. We will be discussing the stem cuttings of which the two most common are the softwood and the hardwood. The principal difference is the hardness or softness of the tissue which differs based on the time of year when collecting. For this session, we will talk about the hardwood cuttings.
Slide 10 - Procedure
The procedure would be basically the same for either softwood or hardwood with the exception of the after care. Let’s take a look at each step of the process.
Slide 11 – Gather materials
First up – gather what you need before getting started:
You want a place to plant, if you do in the ground, where you can leave them for one year! (This is the main difference of the after care for the hardwood cutting) You will need some sand, or if you are going to plant in pots, some good rooting medium, pots and some oasis. Some fresh rooting hormone, a cup and spoon, labeling materials, pruners, and a water source. You probably know which plants will supply the cuttings and have them identified.
Slide 12 – Obtain cuttings
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Take your cuttings in late September – November. We are in Zone 8, so the time may vary depending on your zone. Cut canes that are about pencil thickness to about the same length (7–8 inches). When working with miniatures and minifloras your cutting will be smaller and normally will be stuck in oasis in either a pot or in the ground. Then plunge in a bucket of water before planting. Put a label on right away before you get them mixed up! We prefer to use a 4-inch piece of telephone wire. There are many different pairs of colors in a large cable. We use the same concept to identify different pollens when hybridizing. We used 39 different colors last year, and there are many more to choose from.
Slide 13 – One cutting
Here is one cutting, cut to pencil length, labeled and ready to put in water.
Slide 14 – Cuttings in a bucket of water.
Leave them in water till you need them to start the preparation.
Slide 15 – Prepare planting area
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Select a part of the garden that is relatively free of weeds and gets some shade. Dig a trench 6 inches deep long enough to provide for a 6 inch spacing for each cutting.
Note: If you plant your cuttings in pots, have some pieces of oasis soaking beforehand. We typically use about a 2 – 2 ½ inch cube. Use a good soil mix as you would when potting any rose. Add some Perlite and Vermiculite to your soil to keep it from getting too compacted over time.
Slide 16 – Getting Trench Ready
I have dug my trench 6 inches deep and put some sand in the bottom. I just use medium coarse grade sand as you see in the photo.
Slide 17 – Preparing Growing Container
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Check drainage holes. Fill partially with soil mix and wet it well. Fill container so when you place the oasis, the top will be just below top of the container. Put in the wet oasis and fill around the oasis with soil mix and water well.
Prepare a similar container for each cutting.
Slide 18 – Preparing cuttings
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Remove the lower leaves – leaving the upper two sets. Remove the prickles (thorns) that will be below soil level. Use your pruning shears to cut the basal (bottom) end at an angle just below a bud. Wound (scrape) lightly below eye.
Slide 19 – Preparing cuttings (cont)
Here is one labeled cutting with upper leaves remaining, lower prickles removed and trimmed just below a bud. This cutting is ready to be dipped in rooting hormone and planted.
Slide 20 – Rooting hormone
Rooting hormone is not really required, but it often helps to promote the production of a new root system. Put a small amount of the powder into a separate container to avoid contamination of the rest of the bottle.
Slide 21 – One brand of rooting hormone
We prefer the Hormodin brand. Place enough in a separate container so you can dip the basal end into the powder. When you are through with your cuttings, discard what is left.
Slide 22 – Applying the hormone
Dip the basal end of the cutting in the powder and tap gently to shake off the excess. You don’t need much – just a light coating.
Slide 23 – Plant cuttings in medium
Insert each cutting in the medium so the bottom set of leaves are just at, or slightly above the soil level. Note: The 6-inch spacing between cuttings.
Slide 24 – Side View Drawing
Here is a drawing of the side view with a cutting placed in the trench.
Slide 25 – Back-fill the trench
Gently firm the soil around the stems with your hands, and water the cutting to settle them in. Note: These cuttings were planted in mid-October.
Slide 26 – When Using a Container
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Make a hole in the oasis with a pencil. Gently insert cutting down into the oasis, until the bud eye of the bottom set of leaves is just below the surface of the oasis. It should go almost to the bottom of the oasis, but NOT thru it! Gently firm the oasis around the stem.
Note: We use a block of oasis when planting in pots, as plants in a pot will dry out much faster than those in the ground.
Slide 27 – Using an Oasis in the Ground
Follow the same steps as when using a container as in previous slide.
Slide 28 – Protecting cuttings
A cover helps to keep humidity up, and protects them in cold weather. Be sure and leave the caps off. Too much moisture inside and plants will mold! The one on the right is a miniature in oasis set into the trench without a pot.
Slide 29 – Moisture inside cover
Look at the moisture inside this bottle on a 50 degree overcast day!
Slide 30 – A larger protective cover with many cuttings
This will cover a couple dozen plants. A wood frame covered with a fence wire hoop that is covered with plastic. This one is 2’ x 4’. It has vents on each end, but it still will get quite warm. Need to keep air movement inside. Prop it up with blocks of wood, bricks, etc., which can be easily removed in colder weather.
Slide 31 – If planted in pots
Us a bottle with bottom cut off and cap off in the same way as as if they were planted in the ground. We set the pots in the ground for added winter protection. Provide adequate protection if you don’t.
Slide 32 – Fall and Winter Care
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Fall and winter weather is also a factor
Be sure and leave the caps off the protective covers
Too much moisture inside and plants will mold!
Mulch around protective covers in cold weather
If in pots, move to sheltered area or bury to rim
Leave plants alone for a year
Then you can dig and transplant
Slide 33 – Mid-February @ 26˚
Here are the cuttings safely inside their covers with the temp hovering at 26 degrees. Look at frost and ice buildup from condensation the day before. This ice will melt as the sun hits it and the moisture will run down the inside to keep the cutting well watered.
Slide 34 – Same day - cuttings in mid-Feb
Here is a shot (cover temporarily removed) of two of the cuttings after 4 months. Temperatures since they were planted in mid-October have been as low as 14 degrees! As you can see, the leaves on one are still green and there is new growth in the leaf axil.
Slide 35 – The first day of spring
Here is a shot (cover temporarily removed again) of two of the cuttings the first day of spring (March 20th). Lots of new growth. One of them still has not dropped its leaves.
Slide 36 – Mid June
4 of the 5 cuttings in this row survived the winter and are growing nicely. Here is the first one to bloom – one of our seedlings.
Slide 37 – One Year Later
These are ready for transplanting.
Slide 38 – Requirements for Success
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Be Patient! Varies by variety.
Most will will root this way – give it a try!
When new growth starts to appear in the spring, don’t be too hasty to disturb the cutting
Sometimes they have rooted, but often they have only calloused
Encourage additional shoot formation and branching by removing flower buds
Keep well watered in spring and summer
Fertilize normally during growing months
Leave them to grow in their temporary home
Next fall they can be safely dug up with as much root as possible and transplanted to a permanent location.
Lastly – don’t be discouraged!
Slide 39 – Questions? - Thank you